During the installation of fiber optic routes, the fiber optic cables are installed in reel lengths that range, for example, from 10,000 to 16,000 feet. For extended routes, the cables must be spliced together, maintaining continuity of each optical path contained within the cables. Once these splices are made, they are housed in a metallic enclosure for safety and security. For further protection from harsh environments, the metallic enclosure may be disposed within a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) enclosure and thereafter sealed with an encapsulant comprising a foam rubber-based solution. The encapsulant is intended to prevent water and other debris from entering the splice enclosure.
While most conventional encapsulants provide the necessary protection, it is difficult to remove this foam-based material when a particular splice needs to be repaired or replaced. A conventional approach to removing the encapsulant is to simply use a "skinning knife" to cut away the material. Such a technique is often dangerous to the person performing the repair, and may also result in damaging the optic cables within the splice (such as by accidentally cutting through all of the enclosures and inadvertently cutting one or more cables). Thus, a need remains for an improved method of removing encapsulant from a fiber optic cable.